Bedtime for Beastly
by TaggertShare
Summary: As two Care Bears reach young adulthood they try to figure out their special Caring Powers. They are helped by a Care Cousin also trying to figure out her Destiny. In doing so they help out two seemingly bad characters. Care Bears and Care Cousins are duty bound to help, even members of No Heart's dysfunctional family. Years later they reminisce their parallel Lives of Caring.


Despite his age Bedtime Bear still enjoyed his nightly duties. In helping others sleep his own sleep cycle was not natural. Yet he had thrived doing what he did best. Assuring others of a good night's rest. After a hard night of work he would often wind down before his own bedtime by having morning tea with Sweet Dreams Bear. The two old friends would exchange gossip and stories. Both had just finished one tough night. It had been a warm, humid night. Not the most comfortable weather for furry Bears. Even furless Care Cousin Piggies had cringed with discomfort. There had been a few claps of thunder. All of which made for poor sleeping weather. The rumble of distant thunder often made both adults and cubs have bad dreams.

The night that had just ended had resulted in Sweet Dreams having to help Grumpy and a little Piggy get through nightmares. Sweet Dreams had set out on her night time stroll. She was carrying her usual heavy paw bag. Also an umbrella just in case it did rain. The humid air made her usual night time stroll a bit strenuous. She had been told of a certain home where her services may be needed. She stopped at the address she had been given. As she admired one of the few visible stars she suddenly had a funny feeling. Sweet Dreams sensed someone having a bad dream. She walked up to an outside wall of the modest Condo. Then materialized in the home of Beastly Boar and Sweet Treat Pig. The Care Bear reached into her always over stuffed paw bag. She smiled as light from her Tummy Tag softly illuminated one of the room's three small beds. The light revealed the poor sleeper was a cute little boar pig. He was barely covered by a blanket he had kicked aside. "How can a little boy piggy look so cute" thought the female Bear.

Sweet Dreams helped the tossing boy piggy by holding a cinnamon stick near his nose. The boy grunted happily in his sleep as his nightmare turned into a happy dream of eating cinnamon buns. Very gently his blanket was put back over his lower body by Sweet Dreams. A few hours and houses later Sweet Dreams had been stopped by a Care Cousin. On her advice the Care Bear made her way to the home of Grumpy and Share. The locked doors and windows were no impediment as the Care Bear made her way to Grumpy's bed.

Sweet Dreams tossed one of Share's plushies into the arms of the tossing and mumbling Grumpy. In his sleep Grumpy grabbed it. Sweet Dreams got a kick of how Grumpy looked as he clutched the plushy in his sleep and curled up to it. The usually grumpy old male looked like a sweet innocent cub clutching his favorite stuffed toy. "Maybe that is why Share puts up with his moodiness" Sweet Dreams giggled to herself. She carefully made her way to the outside wall of the room. Then quite literally stepped through the wall and out of the home. "Good night Grumpy Bear. Good night Share Bear" whispered the Bear as she slipped off into the darkness.

Bedtime's night had with started with a hard time getting Harmony to go sleep. He had been forewarned Harmony may need help getting to sleep. While walking up to her home he could sense Harmony tossing about. After materializing by her bed side Bedtime had softly sang a song he knew Harmony had loved as a Cub. Bedtime's deep Bass voice masked the rumble of distant thunder. It took a while for Harmony to stop tossing in bed. Harmony finally dozed off just when Bedtime thought his voice may crack. He then made his way to a home where he had been told some little ones often needed a little night time help.

There he had to help a scared little Piggy put aside her fear of the dark to get to the toilet. The little Piggy was the quiet daughter of the Boar family. Bedtime sensed her need to urgently make it to the bathroom. Bedtime had used his Belly Badge to fill the bedroom and the hallway with artificial moonlight. It was just enough light to allay the young female's fear of the dark. She had made it to the toilet not a second too soon. She felt proud that she had not wet her bed as she had a few nights before. Bedtime then used his Belly Badge to project a path of crescent moon images on the floor. The happy Piggy followed them back to her bed. She could step on the moon! Bedtime was careful not to awaken the young occupants of the other two beds in the room. As Bedtime discretely guided Candy back into her bed Bedtime thought it odd he could smell cinnamon wafting from her sleeping brother's bed. Outside the home two night working Bears bumped into each other.

Now as Bedtime and Sweet Dreams had their Tea they talked. They were forbidden to talk about most current nighttime help they delved out. However when their paths crossed doing their duties they could talk about it. Bedtime would mention nothing about Harmony. Sweet Dreams had to keep secret seeing Grumpy cuddle up to the plushy. However they could discuss events at the home of Beastly Boar and Sweet Treat Pig.

"I am sorry I bumped into you last night" Sweet Dreams said to Bedtime. "My bad" said Bedtime. "I had my mind on a cute little Piggy. It is hard to believe just how sweet a young Sow Pig can be." Sweet Dreams laughed. "Her Brother is a cutie too. Pepper Jack is such a nice little Boar. I sure am glad we don't have to work the day shift. If so we would have to deal with their sister. She sleeps well at night. Then acts like a little devil all day. That is one girl who certainly took after her Father."

Bedtime grinned. "Taffy sure does act like Beastly did in his younger days. Oh what a bad little Boar he could be. He was even bad at being bad!" Sweet Dreams laughed making her tea go down the wrong hole. Bedtime handed her a napkin to cough into. "You got that right" she finally gasped out. "Having been born a Wild Boar he lived up to the name. I kind of miss the bad old days when No Heart, Shreeky, and Beastly were up to their old tricks. They made life more entertaining. Especially Beastly. I can see why Sweet Treat Pig eventually fell in love with the little devil."

Bedtime sighed. "I had just started getting my Tummy Tag Powers when I first dealt with Beastly. By the time he finally went good my Tummy Tag was being called a Belly Badge." Sweet Dreams giggled. "Oh the younger generation. They just have to rename things. Speaking of first dealing with Beastly. We kind of did that together. Remember?"

The former Teen Bears laughed as they reminisced. This Tea Time was made sweeter as the two friends went down Memory Lane together. Their quests to fully understand their own Tummy Tag powers had led them to lead parallel lives. To do their caring duties each would learn to live the night life. Working by night and sleeping by day. Leading nocturnal lives had made them both seem a bit mysterious to the other Care Bears.

As for the Care Cousins, Proud Heart Cat was one of the few who also knew what it was like to work at night and sleep during the day. In doing so she had unintentionally help create the night time duo of Bedtime and Sweet Dreams. There was also some unintended outside help. No Heart's young lackey and a bad girl would be the catalysts that tied it all together.

No Heart had taken Beastly in as an apprentice. He felt the Wild Boar who had failed as a Care Cousin want to be could easily be manipulated to do bad deeds. Especially after No Heart placed a curse on the hapless Beastly. Instead the cursed Boar was often a hindrance to No Heart's plans. Despite No Heart's and Shreeky's attempts to teach Beastly he stayed awful at being bad. For some odd reason Beastly's evil bosses put up with the Boar's failures.

Perhaps the chance to zap Beastly on the butt was enough fun for Shreeky and No Heart to put up with the inept beast. Lovalot once saw No Heart admonish Beastly for playing with a toad instead of picking herbs. Beastly had jumped and grabbed his backside after No Heart pointed, what looked like sparks flew from Beastly's buttocks. Then Lovalot saw Shreeky do much the same thing after Beastly accidently knocked Shreeky's mirror out of her hand. Shreeky picked up the mirror and took aim for the fleeing Beastly's hindquarters. "Yikes" yelled Beastly as sparks flew. Yet Beastly seemed unhurt and unfazed a moment later. In fact Lovalot's Power of Empathy indicated Beastly felt fondly about the girl who had just zapped him.

A few days later Lovalot was surprised when she discretely used her Power of Empathy to see how Shreeky really felt about Beastly. The mean girl who espoused hatred emitted an aura of empathy too. An aura directed toward Beastly. Lovalot then knew Shreeky could feel bad or sad when Beastly was sad or really hurting. Knowing that, Lovalot thought Shreeky would probably never really hurt Beastly. Lovalot had heard of "love taps". Could Shreeky and No Heart really be giving Beastly "love zaps"? It was enough to boggle one Care Bear's mind. When Lovalot shared her suspicions with other Care Bears they could only shrug. Including Bedtime and Sweet Dreams.

Lovalot was not the only member of the Care Bears and Care Cousins to really wonder what No Heart's unconventional family was like. Proud Heart Cat had a cat's natural curiosity. She had quickly observed many Humans had an apprehension of Black Cats. Being an orange tan tabby meant few strangers having any fear of her. When others looked at her in sunlight they could see a bluish green tint to her fur. The multi colored cat sometimes wondered what life was like for a Witch's Cat or a Familiar. So at times she would spy around the grounds near No Heart's castle. Day dreaming of being a Black Cat. One evening Proud Heart had observed Shreeky and Beastly arguing. Then the two had sat on a tattered blanket for a picnic. After seeing them arguing the cat then watched amazed as Shreeky handed Beastly some cold chicken and bread. Shreeky even wiped Beastly's chin with a napkin.

Proud Heart was so amazed to see Shreeky being nice the cat forgot to keep under cover. Beastly suddenly squealed and pointed the cat out to Shreeky. Then an amazing thing happened. Proud Heart had cringed expecting to get zapped by Shreeky. Instead Shreeky laughed and wrapped up a piece of chicken. "Oh Beastly, it is just that Care Cousin Cat. I like cats. Too bad she isn't a Black Cat. I love Black Cats." Shreeky pointed at Proud Heart. "Hey, there is plenty of chicken. Have a thigh, you know it's edible since you can see me eating some." Then Shreeky had tossed the wrapped chicken to Proud Heart.

"Thank you" the cat had said before bounding into the bushes to eat her unexpected snack. Proud Heart was surprised at how delicious the chicken tasted. The Care Cousin had heard many bad things about Shreeky. Who knew Shreeky could be nice or a good cook. Shreeky had even said the word love. It was enough to boggle a Care Cousin's mind.

A few nights later Proud Heart watched from a thicket. First Bedtime and then Sweet Dreams had timidly stepped out into the darkness. Each trying to get their new found Tummy Tag powers figured out. Then Proud Heart set about trying to figure out her own Destiny. After all the heart within a star pattern on her tummy must have some special powers. Unlike the Bears the Cat's destiny was one to be determined by the fact she was a Care Cousin. One would have expected her and Brave Heart to be possible Caring Partners. After all they were both Felines. However the ever boastful Brave Heart was not a fan of the night. He would rather sit in the sun while roaring out orders to others. Proud Heart took pride in doing her work quietly. However she would often strut with her tail in the air, which the others took as a sign of boastful pride. It is said opposites attract. Perhaps that is the reason the proud cat and boastful lion felt a bit of repulsion for each other. No matter the reason Proud Heart would rather work by herself. Now the lone Care Cousin headed for No Heart's castle.

Proud Heart felt an odd sensation as she neared No Heart's domain. Her Tummy Tag emitted a soft glow as if it were lighting her way to her destiny. "There's one new found Tummy Tag power" the Care Cousin muttered to herself. She crept up the stones jutting haphazardly out of the outside wall of the castle. Then peered into a window. With her night vision the cat saw Shreeky tossing and turning in her sleep. "Shreeky is supposed to like bad things" thought the cat. "I wonder if she is troubled by a good dream or a bad dream." Proud Heart thought of the chicken the supposedly bad girl had tossed to her. Quietly the cat made her way to a barely lit window. She peered into what must be Beastly's room. She observed Beastly carefully putting a small candle lantern on the shelf near a rickety bed. "I hope no scary monsters are out there in the dark" the cat's keen ears heard Beastly say.

Beastly closed the window as Proud Heart ducked her head. After raising her head back up she saw Beastly lay down to sleep. The candle lantern appeared to be Beastly's nightlight. Proud Heart tried hard not to giggle aloud. "The scary beast called Beastly is afraid of the dark" she thought to herself. Then a surprising thing happened. She felt sorry for the supposedly evil beast of a boar. After all she had seen him do some funny things. She had also seen him get zapped for displeasing No Heart and Shreeky. As Proud Heart made her way away from the castle she sensed something in the darkness. She watched as two dark figures bumped into each other.

Proud Heart activated her Tummy Tag's light. Her new found nightlight illuminated two Care Bears getting back up on their foot paws. "What the Heck" said Bedtime. "Oops, sorry" said Sweet Dreams. "Hey, where is this light coming from?" Both Bears turned to see what looked like an outline of a cat against the darkness. "Fancy meeting you two here" said a familiar voice.

"Proud Heart, is that you? What are you doing out here in the dark" asked Sweet Dreams. "It is I" said Proud Heart as she stepped closer. "I like prowling about in the darkness. I believe it may be my Calling to be a night working Care Cousin. You two knew your Callings the moment you got your Tummy Tags. For me it is just a feeling I have been having. So what brought you two to the same spot tonight?"

"Well" said Sweet Dreams with her well known drawl to her voice. "I could sense someone having a bad dream. I felt drawn to this area." Bedtime let out a low whistle. "Wow, I could sense some creature fearing the night. I can almost feel its fear of the dark." Proud Heart now said "wow. I could sense something near here too. I think I know what brought you two to this area. Follow me. But first, see if you can use your Tummy Tags as light sources. Like I am."

Both Bears grunted and groaned as they tried to make their own Caring Symbols glow. With Proud Heart's guidance both finally got their own Tummy Tags to emit light. Then they followed the Care Cousin Cat. She set down her umbrella. Luckily it appeared as if the storm would miss them. Then the nimble Care Cousin easily climbed the Castle walls. The Care Bears found it a bit harder. Sweet Dreams also had to be careful not to lose her paw bag. Finally they reached a partially opened window. As they peeked into Shreeky's room Bedtime felt sympathy for the tossing girl. It mattered not to him that this girl was said to be bad. Everyone deserves a good night's rest.

Proud Heart and Sweet Dreams nearly died of fright as Bedtime started singing in a hushed tone of voice. "Hush little Shreeky don't say a word. Bedtime will find you a mocking bird." The Cat and Bear saw movement on the bed as Bedtime sang some more. Each expected Shreeky to jump up and zap them. Instead Shreeky sighed and clutched her tattered pillow to her chest. From the soft glow of their Tummy Tags they saw a smile on Shreeky's face. She started snoring. "Mission accomplished" whispered Bedtime.

The amazed Proud Heart now led the way to Beastly's window. As the night prowling trio peeked into the window of the poorly lit room they could see the flickering candle lantern. Its flickering light was casting odd shaped shadows. Beastly had his hand hooves over his eyes as if to keep from seeing the shadows of scary monsters. Sweet Dreams felt empathy for Beastly. Before she got her Tummy Tag powers she had been a cub who feared the dark. She remembered a glow in the dark yoyo she had planned to give to Tugs. Well, she could always get another one. She pawed through her paw bag for the yoyo. She used the glow of her Tummy Tag to make the yoyo glow.

She found herself wishing she could get into the room without climbing through the window. Suddenly she felt an impulse to just go through the closed widow, glass and all. She rubbed her softly glowing Tummy Tag. As the other two watched in astonishment Sweet Dreams crawled through the closed window. She appeared to de-materialize and re-materialize from one side of the glass pane to the other. "Now that is one amazing Tummy Tag power" Bedtime whispered to Proud Heart. Then they watched Sweet Dreams hang the glowing yoyo from the shelf over Beastly's bed. With a quiet giggle she blew out the Candle Lantern. The soft glow of the yoyo was safer than a lit lantern. Its steady light did not cause flickering shadows. After crawling back through the window the Bear looked back into the room. Even through the closed window Beastly could be heard snoring. In the morning he would awake fully rested. "Where did this come from" he would say as he found the yoyo. It was soon one of his few treasured possessions. Every night henceforth its soft glow would keep Beastly's imagined night monsters at bay.

After safely exiting the Castle grounds the Care Bears and Care Cousin spotted something high in the sky. The clouds were breaking up revealing the stars. One star's light shone above the others. It was as if the Great Wishing Star had made a late night appearance to thank them. Empowering them for future nighttime excursions. As a new day had dawned two tired Bears and a sleepy Cat had made their way home. All three felt great satisfaction. Bedtime celebrated by dancing "The Care Cat Strut" with Proud Heart.

Now years later a Care Cousin cat strutted over to the table where Bedtime and Sweet Dreams were sipping their Tea. Sweet Dreams sniffed the air as the cat pulled up a chair. "Mind if I join you" said the cat. Sweet Dreams grinned as the Care Cousin cat held a cup of aromatic tea. "Have a seat, Proud Heart. You are always welcome. You are still the best night time scout to find Bears and Cousins who need our care. Is that Cat Nip tea I smell?" Proud Heart grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "It sure is. After a night of stalking in the name of caring I need a little pick me up." Bedtime yawned. "I know what you mean" he said sleepily. "This evening before work I am tempted to head for The Share Shack and try some of Share's new espresso. I hear it can even get a Care Cousin Sloth to move fast!"

Three sleepy friends finished their Tea. Suddenly they spotted Swift Heart Rabbit on the run. "Where are you off to" Proud Heart yelled to the speeding rabbit. Swift Heart slowed and jogged in place. "I am off to the nearest rest room" she gasped. "I just had three cups of Share's espresso. It really makes you go. In more ways than one!"


End file.
